East Pier Maritime Murals

The sailing vessel the 'Soren Larsen' was constructed by the Danish family of Soren Larsen & Sons at their shipyard in Nykoping Mors in Denmark in 1949. The ship was mainly employed on the Baltic sea routes and north European waters, and occasionally ventured as far afield as Iceland, and the United Kingdom. In 1972, the ship was gutted by fire and was laid up until 1978, when the hull was bought by Square Sail Britain. Being fully restored under their watch, she was re-decked with iroko timber and re-masted with Douglas Fir, and finally re-rigged as a 19th century-style brigantine. The vessel's new homeport became Colchester in the U.K.  On resuming operations in 1979, the 'Soren Larsen' saw extensive use in television and film productions, which helped in a big way towards her overall restoration costs. She became well known for her regular appearances in the BBC Series 'Onedin Line',  the films, 'French Lieutenant's Woman', 'In Search ...

  The 'Sota Eduardo' was built in 1974 by the shipyard, Astilleros Y Talleres Celaya in Bilbao  for the Sota Line, which was based in the Basque Region in northern Spain. She was one of two small sister coastal cargo vessels, the other being named the 'Sota Alejandro'. They both traded to Wicklow Port on a regular basis from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s with cargoes of chipboard and other building materials from Bilbao and possibly, Marin. Their cargo capacity was just over 1000 tons, which made them the smallest vessels owned by this company. On 15th July 1985, distress calls from the 'Sota Eduardo' were received by emergency services  as the vessel had got into serious difficulties north-east of the Humber while on passage from the Spanish port of Marin to Scarborough in Yorkshire with a cargo of chipboard. Rescue helicopters from R.A.F. Boulemar and R.A.F. Leconfield were immediately dispatched to the scene, as were the R.N.L.I. lifeboats from the Humber a...

The tugboat 'Dunheron' was launched and completed in July 1955 as the 'Golden Cross'  by shipbuilders, Scott & Sons, Bowling for Tees Towing Co. Ltd., Middlesbrough.  The vessel held this name until 1968, when she was sold and her name changed to the  'Dunheron', a name which she held for many years under different owners. At one stage, from 1972 to 1977, she was under the Irish ownership of A.C. Cranes Ltd., Dublin, and after that was operated by Carmel Tugs Ltd. of Bromborough until 1991. In 1996, she was purchased for preservation by a Captain White of London, and was reputedly owned by actress Suzie Wong. On 30th October 2006, she assisted the Royal Yacht 'Britannia' on an overseas departure and was the sole escort for that vessel on the final stage of her last voyage in 1997. During this deployment, her name reverted to 'H.M.R.T. (Her Majesty's Royal Tug) Golden Cross'. In 2012, this interesting vessel was bought by a group of volunt...

  I was delighted to be given an official tribute by Wicklow County Council with a new sign on the East Pier wall marking my near-50 years of maritime murals.  A big thank you to Cathoirleach of the CoCo, Cnllr. Paul O'Brien for launching this dedication, which includes a QR Code to view my murals and the stories that inspired them. Photos courtesy of Willie Byrne.

  The 'Rosa & Ada' (F 105) was the largest and biggest gaff cutter, rigged fishing smack built by Collar Bros, Whitstable in 1908 for The Seasalter & Ham Oyster Company at that port, with whom she worked until 1963. A smack boat is a type of traditional fore-and-aft-rigged fishing vessel, often with a well to keep the catch alive. They were common along the coasts of Britain and America, particularly in the 19th century. During World War 11, the 'Rosa & Ada' was requisitioned as a supply tender in the River Thames, where she serviced vessels searching for magnetic mines. In 1958, the vessel was run down at her moorings by a coaster in thick fog and sank. She was refloated shortly afterwards, repaired, and continued to work till 1963. Following several years in lay-up, the 'Rosa & 'Ada' was bought privately, restored, and was then used for racing, while kept at Hollowshore in Kent. In 1981, she was bought by her present owner who sailed her to...

This gaff ketch rigged fishing smack was launched on 22nd April 1884 at the Garrison Side yard of William McCann shipbuilders at Hull for the "City" fleet of Messrs.Simpson & Bowman of Hull, as one of a class of 10 long line sailing trawlers, all named after cities, in this case, the 'City of Edinboro'. These vessels typically worked the Dogger Bank and other associated North Sea fishery areas for cod. Their daily catch was always transferred to a fast steamer, which allowed them to stay at sea for weeks. It was gruelling work! In 1897, she was sold on to an Icelandic fish merchant in Reykjavik and renamed 'Frida', and fished regularly in Icelandic and Greenland waters until 1913. From then on, until 1967, the vessel worked under three successive Faroese owners, fishing in the same North Atlantic waters and sporting the respective names of 'Solvaborg', 'Solvasker' and 'Sjoborgin'.  In 1980, she was discovered by Henry Irving in the ...

The 'R.M.S. (Royal Mail Steamer) Titanic' was built by Harland & Wolff Shipbuilding Company in Belfast, and was launched on 31st May 1911 for the White Star Line. Being the largest ship afloat on entering service, she sailed from Southampton on her maiden voyage to Cherbourg with approximately 2,240 people on board, of whom 885 were crew members. The construction and fitting out of this notable passenger liner cost somewhere in the region of £1.5 million, which would have been equivalent to £180 million in 2023! The 'R.M.S. Titanic' was the second in a new class of liners, larger than anything that had come before, which was designed as the last word in comfort and luxury. As well as carrying some of the wealthiest people in the world, she accommodated hundreds of emigrants from the British Isles, Europe, and Ireland, who were seeking a new life in the United States and Canada. Following port calls at Southampton, Cherbourg, and Queenstown (Cobh), the 'Titanic...